The motto in Queensland, the third-largest state in Australia with a population of 4.6 million, is, “do the bright thing.” A little hokey, sure, but it captures the state’s aim to become a clean-energy hotspot, mainly with solar power. Pursuit of that ambition is moving forward now with the release of a new Renewable Energy Industry Development Plan, in which the Labor government of Anna Bligh sets goals of enticing $3.5 billion in renewable energy investment and creating 2020 jobs in the sector by 2020.


“The plan outlines 23 initiatives the Bligh Government will undertake over two years to facilitate economic development of Queensland’s renewable energy industry, generate green jobs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and accelerate deployment of renewable energy projects,” Energy Minister Stephen Robertson said in a statement.

Robertson pegged five key areas of focus for the state: Innovation, renewable energy zones, jobs, regulatory reform and incentives. He said renewable energy developers will be assisted at the state and regional level to identify potential renewable energy project opportunities and, where possible, to access state and federal support programs.

Along those lines, the state just completed the “Queensland Solar Atlas,” which the government says provides a comprehensive and up-to-date map of solar energy resources in the state. With information on electricity and natural gas transmission infrastructure, land and water resources, as well as meteorological information, the map is intended to help to identify the best sites for project development in Queensland.

More information about the Renewable Energy Industry Development Plan is available on the Queensland government website.

By Pete Danko
Excerpt from Earth Techling

Australia has jumped leaps and bounds in its renewable energy path, with over one million Australians living with solar power.

Australia is now on track to generate one-fifth of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, as reported at the United Nation climate change talks that have been taking place in South Africa.

Solar power will play a huge role in Australia’s renewable energy future thanks to large scale solar and residential solar being adopted by more and more Australians. It is estimated that 1.2 million people are using solar power to help fuel their homes and over 500,000 installations have been carried out. While there has been a surge in solar power over the last few years, it is expected to slow since various tariffs have been reduced.

“There will be a slowdown in the short term but the medium and long-term outlook is for very strong growth for household solar systems,” said Clean Energy Council director Kane Thornton.

Homes installed with solar power are set to weather the storm of future power spikes with more ease than non-solar neighbours. The expected hikes in power costs for Queensland, New South Wales and ACT are set to rise 42% over the next three years. South Australia will increase by 36%, Victoria 33%, Western Australia 30%, Tasmania 25% and the Northern Territory by just 16%.

The states with the highest expected price rises additionally have experienced the highest number of solar power installations. While many have already prepared their homes for the price rise there is still time for many, particularly Queenslanders, to make the switch now while receiving high tariff benefits.

Self-storage is often seen as consumerism gone wild: we’ve accumulated so much stuff that we now have to rent extra space to store it. Arguably, a bigger problem is that we buy disposable, single-use items and just toss them out.

Many people choose to use storage while downsizing their living space, or to save items for friends and family to use, which is more green than repeatedly buying disposable items to cycle through and toss out.

Storage facilities are getting into the green game to make their facilities more appealing to consumers, save energy and save money.

While climate-controlled facilities are ideal for patrons who want to protect furniture and other delicate items, many owners are turning to seasonal climate control instead: it doesn’t make sense to cool a unit in winter, so renters can sign up for seasonal agreements and help conserve energy.

The layout of storage facilities makes them ideal for solar energy panels. Green Warrior, a company that specializes in solar panels for mini storage, points out that rooftop solar power makes sense in the dense structure of a storage facility, where units are tightly packed and buildings are simple. (See an example at Cedar Storage in Utah.)

Green Warrior also suggests installing carports on large storage parking lots – the carport roofs make a good space for additional solar panels.

Most storage facilities already use a minimal amount of energy, and installing solar panels could make them entirely self-sufficient. Some solar-enabled sites generate enough surplus power to sell it back to their local energy company. The cost to the consumer to rent at a solar-powered facility is usually the same as a standard facility; if owners offered discounts to renters who used solar-powered units, it’d be win-win.

By Nadine Long
Excerpt from National Geographic